Dog Gone
by Crimson Vixen
Summary: title sucks. Sugar Milk fic. Aki Yamabe/Shinta Yamada. Slight sequel to my last fic 'Equilibrium', in which Shinta takes Aki's dog for a walk, which ends in, by Shinta's standards, disaster.


**A/N: **I can't help it. My beloved _Kitten-chan _really loves Sugar Milk and there are not really any other fics out there that I could find and, well, I like making her happy XD So I wrote another one, much worse than that last! I'm really tired...

No really, its not that great. But the actual story is, so you should go check it out.

_Please be aware that mangafox has been loaded with viruses lately (I know, wtf!?) so make sure you have a good virus detector goin'!_

**"Sugar Milk"** _(one-shot - What's Your Name pages 1 - 18)_ - www(dot)mangafox(dot)com /manga /sugar_milk /v01 /c001/

**"Call My Name"** - www(dot)mangafox(dot)com /manga /call_my_name_jaryuu_dokuro /v01 /c001/

And for some art, browse through _Kitten-chan_'s art. **Kitten-chan(dot)deviantart(dot)com**

**Disclaimer/Warning: **Characters do not belong to me and I can't really think of much of a warning. Just light BL. Oh and really bad writing DX

The title makes me want to shoot myself. Did I actually call it that? pfft...

Enjoy it anyway, hun.

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**Sugar Milk**

_a fiction by Crimson Vixen_

**Dog Gone**

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Shinta doesn't expect that when he takes Cerberus out for a walk for Aki (out of earnest need to please the man), that it is actually going to be the dog that takes the lead. Cerberus is a large, determined animal, stocky and built enough to overpower Shinta easily from the other side of the leash. On several occasions Shinta fears his arm will be pulled clean out of its socket.

"No… No." Shinta scolds, jerking a finger at Aki's beloved pet to explain that _he_ is the one in charge before turning his head away to let her do her business. He stares up at the clouds and thinks about Aki without his glasses for a moment before taking a small breath. "You finished?"

Although dogs can't talk (and Shinta knows this but he can't help providing Aki's Cerberus with the same respect he devotes to Aki himself) he still patiently waits for a sign that the dog is finished. She doesn't say anything though, doesn't give him a decent warning before pressing her nose against the back of Shinta's inner thighs and migrating upwards to much more private quarters.

Shinta can't keep his eyes from bulging or his hands from flying to the offended area, kindly shooing Cerberus' nose away and regaining his hold on the leash. For the smallest of seconds he wonders if people are right when they say dogs are like their owners and Cerberus being curious about his body is a sign. Or if he's just too young and he's thinking dirty thoughts whlie Aki thinks nothing of the sort. He clears his throat and points a finger to the dog.

"_No_."

Feeling like he's regained some control, Shinta continues to stroll down the road, stopping only when he realizes Cerberus is not following suit. He tugs and yanks, even digs his heels to the ground and uses all his weight to drag the animal along. But Cerberus has her mug deep in the grass; Aki wasn't joking around when he said Cerberus was a stubborn thing to walk.

"Hey…" Shinta mumbles, approaching the animal and squatting down next to her, free hand propped lovingly on her head and scratching right behind the ear. She seems to have picked up the scent of something _some_where, and without thinking Shinta takes a whiff of the air, too. But the dog must be crazy because he doesn't smell a thing.

He stands and curls his fingers under the collar to give an encouraging tug. He really just wants to see Aki again because it's been a good ten minutes or so since they'd left and he misses the man already. He wonders why Cerberus doesn't feel the same.

Its early evening and probably around dinnertime, so maybe Aki will make them dinner and Shinta can take note of what kind of food Aki likes, or how good of a cook he is. Come to think of it he never really paid much attention to what Aki would buy when he came to the convenient store; he was always too busy gawking at his face.

Shinta feels his stomach growl at the very thought of it, and shamelessly he wonders, since Aki is thoughtful enough to call him Shinta and invite him over and let him walk his dog, if he'll be considerate enough to feed him, too. He presses a palm to his cheek to feel the flush creep into his skin, squirming at the thought and unable to control the smile that overcomes him.

But that smile turns into a grimace when the leash rubs raw against his palm; Cerberus finally decides to track down the scent that's been teasing her and makes a mad dash for the horizon. And while the dog has always been affectionate and smart, she apparently doesn't understand the command "_Please _don't!"

Shinta's mouth twists and he viciously chomps on his bottom lip when the leash yanks all too easily from his grip, and soon Cerberus is racing down the road and Shinta is no longer in control. He stands there with his eyes fixated on the road and the spec of an animal that is disappearing into it, and feels his heart sink and his eyes start to well. He hears himself whine before his mouth actually opens to release it, and he takes off sprinting down the cool pavement after Cerberus and calling her name while thinking of Aki's.

And it takes a whopping three minutes for Shinta to realize he can't keep up with an adrenaline pumped, endurance housing, four legged creature like Cerberus and he slows to a stop to regulate his breathing, which is mostly caught because this is _not _the way to woo the object of his affections. It's a real _great_ way to start off a relationship (Shinta hadn't used the term 'boyfriend' yet but he sure loved the man and he'd been kissed by him not too long ago so how else was he supposed to see it?). Yeah, take the man's dog for a walk and _lose_ her.

He has images of Aki frowning at him in a way that isn't his usual, friendly frown. He has thoughts of Aki shutting him out or being upset with him or _worse_, being disappointed in him or never wanting to see him again. He hears him say things like 'I trusted you' and 'why did you lose my dog' and Shinta feels the tears brim the corners of his dark eyes. He's never seen Aki's face look upset before but imagining it is just as bad, and he thinks its way too soon to be seeing things like that.

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No matter how many times Shinta practices apologies in his head or out loud, nothing seems sufficient enough to justify losing Aki's dog. He stares at the earth as he walks, unable to lift his head when he reaches Aki's place and knocks on the door. And although he'd been trying to prep himself for his confession, he loses his composure when the door clicks open.

Shinta throws himself at the older man before the door can fully widen, and he is already brazen and comfortable enough to bury into his chest and fling his arms around Aki's waist and speak into his oak-scented shirt that he's sorry, he's so very sorry but he's done something _awful_.

But Aki seems confused in the way he takes Shinta by the shoulders and holds him out at arms length, staring at him with one raised brow and a slightly open frown that looks to Shinta more like a scowl. The younger boy turns his head to the side and whines horribly, not sure how to actually break the news to him.

"Shinta?"

And Shinta isn't even sure he wants Aki to call him by name because he's _lost_ his _dog_.

"I… I…" he tries to collect himself. Forces himself to meet Aki's tired eyes. "I was out and… Well _we _were out, and I didn't look while she was… Anyway then she was sniffing around but I mean, I didn't smell anything but she…"

He stops, unable to continue. He feels Aki's hands grip a little tighter at his smaller shoulders and that concerned look on his face isn't going away. He looks tired, like he just woke up. Maybe Aki is prone to napping...

Something snaps, and Shinta throws his scrawny arms into the air and falls ungracefully back into Aki's hold, feeling guilty but wanting to be close enough that Aki will hold him back. Which he does.

"She's _gone_!" he howls, practically eating Aki's shirt when he declares it. He can't see Aki's face but he can _feel _his confusion, which only confuses Shinta himself because he doesn't know how he can be any clearer. _Lost your dog_.

Shinta hiccups and pulls away just enough to look up into Aki's eyes, feeling warm with how close they are and cold at how he's done him wrong. He tries to get over himself so he can speak more clearly (maybe Aki didn't hear him right) but it's so very hard for him to concentrate when something is pounding mercilessly at his calf. He tries to explain anyway, but gets distracted by the annoyingly rough tapping. He tries to explain yet again, and, with eyes still brimming, looks down to the ground just as he manages to tell Aki that his dog is missing. Missing because he wasn't paying enough attention and now she's _gone_ and it's all his fault.

And the news doesn't seem to upset Aki too much because Cerberus is wagging her tail and looking up at both of them curiously now, tail repeatedly thwacking against his leg like a cruel reminder of just how smart she really is and how blind Shinta can be when Aki takes up every last space of his brain.

"You what?" Aki says, seeming amused with the way Shinta's eyes jump from the dog to Aki, Aki to the dog, and Shinta nearly cries through his sloppy grin when it breaks through his lips. He laughs at first, choppy and weird, before eventually frowning in a way that isn't like Aki's and he clutches at the older man's shirt. He looks up to him, a little choked and surprised when he sees Aki do something different.

His brows raise a fraction, his eyes gently close and his mouth upturns into the slightest of grins.

And while Shinta is upset for losing a dog that never really needed finding in the first place, he is starting to think Cerberus to be a lucky charm of sorts for him, because it's usually because of that that dog he gets closer to Aki. And during their short time together Shinta has seen Aki do three firsts, and tonight, Aki does all three of those firsts at once.

He slips his glasses off and props them atop his head, and keeps that light grin on his lips when he leans in and lightly kisses him.

And it's almost like Aki knows how to steal away everything that isn't good, because all Aki ever seems to leave him with is happyness and good feelings and every once and a while, firsts. Him and his dog.


End file.
